One second earlier...
Jack stared at the skyscraper as it began collapsing, massive chunks of concrete and steel crashing toward the plaza below.
He grabbed the priest by the arm.
"Run!"
"It's too late!"
The priest remained rooted in place, staring reverently at the catastrophe rushing toward them as though witnessing a divine revelation.
But Jack was nowhere near that accepting.
Watching the apocalyptic scene unfolding before him, it felt as though his own world had already ended.
Damn it.
He had promised his mom he'd be home on time.
Who could have imagined a battle between legends would be this dangerous?
Legends?
This was beyond legend.
It was beyond myth.
It had surpassed anything humanity should have been capable of.
As Jack screamed internally...
Down below, Lucy took a strained breath and immediately looked around.
"Rebecca, everyone, avoid the falling debris!"
"I know! Hide behind somebody else! Mann, grab a couple of bystanders!"
"You think I'm stupid? I've already got some!"
"Run!"
"Running won't help! We can only hide and pray!"
"I've never believed in God, damn it!"
"Then pray anyway!"
"Stop talking and move!"
Amid the chaos and screaming, everyone suddenly froze.
The countless fragments of stone filling the sky abruptly stopped moving.
Then, in the next instant, the rubble and surrounding ruins simply vanished.
The impossible sight left the survivors stunned.
Only then did they notice Axel rising into the air in the distance.
Under countless eyes, Axel ascended higher and higher before slowly turning toward the most densely populated section of the city.
Then he spread his arms.
"Kneel!"
The roar echoed through the air.
For a moment, every heartbeat seemed to stop.
Then...
Thump.
One person dropped to their knees.
Then another.
And another.
Soon, countless people were kneeling before him.
Hovering above the city, Axel looked down at the masses and sneered.
Then he began to speak.
Using telekinesis and precise mental control, he manipulated the air itself, carrying his voice across the planet.
It required concentration.
Axel simply preferred not using his brain when he didn't have to.
But once he focused, it took less than a second to adjust everything.
And so his voice reached every corner of Earth.
Not just Corporate Plaza.
Not just Night City.
The entire world.
"Ahem. Hello? Testing. Can everybody hear me?"
Axel paused and expanded his senses.
Instantly, countless sounds flooded his mind.
Gunfire.
Murder.
Assault.
Screams.
Despair.
Humanity at its worst.
Then Axel smiled.
"Good. I know you can hear me.
Pay attention.
Not just you.
Not just your family.
Every single person on Earth.
No need to look confused. Even if the sun disappeared tomorrow, life would still keep moving, wouldn't it?
Oh, right. I forgot introductions.
Hello, everyone.
My name is Axel.
And as for my occupation...
Hahaha.
From today onward, I am everyone's father.
If you're happy, you can call me Father. Maybe I'll even give you a gift.
If you're unhappy, feel free to curse me.
Governments don't allow euthanasia, but I can help you find peace far more efficiently.
Now then.
The reason I'm speaking to everyone today is simple.
Saburo Arasaka.
Are you listening?"
The world fell silent.
Far away, inside Arasaka Tower in Tokyo, Saburo Arasaka's face turned pale.
Beside him, Yorinobu Arasaka looked at him with open mockery.
Like a man already watching a corpse.
Saburo swallowed hard.
"I am here. Can you hear me?"
"Haha, not bad. Saburo answered me."
Axel grinned.
The next instant...
Pfft!
Saburo Arasaka's right leg exploded.
Blood sprayed across the room.
After a moment of shock, Saburo collapsed heavily onto the floor.
Seeing the scene, Yorinobu burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Do you see that, Saburo?
Your sins have finally summoned a demon into the world!
I knew this day would come!
You wanted to become a god.
You refused to die.
You lived far beyond your natural lifespan because you couldn't bear giving up power.
But before a real monster, your so-called godhood means nothing!"
"Ahem."
Axel interrupted him.
"Yorinobu.
I know who you are.
You're not a bad guy.
You can be kind even to animals, and your goals would benefit humanity.
You're just an idiot.
Anyway, go stop your father's bleeding.
I blew his leg off, but I won't allow him to die that easily.
That would be far too merciful.
If you fail to keep him alive long enough to experience everything waiting for him in the future, I'll personally shove your head up your own ass.
And since we're being honest, I don't appreciate being called a demon.
Try saying it again."
As the final words fell...
Axel lightly clapped his hands.
Boom.
Saburo's remaining leg exploded.
At the same moment, every person actively committing violent crimes across the world suffered the same fate.
Yorinobu stared blankly for half a second before lunging toward Saburo.
"Medical team!
Now!
Where the hell is Trauma Team?!
Move!
I've never wanted this old bastard alive as much as I do right now!
Come on, old man.
Your loving son is taking care of you!"
While speaking, he slapped Saburo across the face.
Hard.
This time, neither Hanako Arasaka nor Michiko Arasaka made any attempt to stop him.
Moments later, Goro Takemura burst through the door, and Saburo's situation finally began to stabilize.
While chaos consumed the Arasaka family...
Back in Corporate Plaza, Rebecca looked at Lucy in confusion.
"What is he talking about?
Was he actually having a conversation with Saburo Arasaka?
Did he somehow hack everyone's brains at once?
What kind of netrunner can even do that?"
"The kind that might as well be a god."
Lucy stared at Axel with undisguised excitement.
Meanwhile, Axel's expression twitched.
Damn it.
In another world, broadcasting directly into everyone's mind would seem divine.
Here, everyone probably thought he was the greatest netrunner in history.
Still.
It could have been worse.
After reassuring himself, Axel reopened the connection.
"Ahem.
That's enough chatting.
Saburo, and all the other corporate leaders...
Wait for me.
You..."
Suddenly, Axel's expression darkened.
"Holy hell.
The NUSA just launched a nuclear strike on Night City.
President Myers, are you trying to piss me off?"
His right hand clenched.
The next instant...
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
More than thirty nuclear explosions erupted across the skies over Ohio.
Every missile had detonated before reaching its target.
Inside Washington, President Rosalind Myers collapsed back into her chair.
The room was silent.
Holding the armrests tightly, she looked around at the assembled cabinet members.
"Gentlemen.
Our nuclear arsenal was intercepted and destroyed before reaching Night City.
We have done everything within our capabilities.
What stands before us is effectively a god.
America's future is no longer the most important issue.
Humanity's future is.
Our next step must be..."
"Madam President."
The Secretary of Defense interrupted her.
His expression was unusually strange.
Then he tapped his ear.
"When that... deity from Night City mentioned you, he didn't sound merely angry.
Perhaps..."
The man hesitated.
"...perhaps diplomacy should include a more personal approach."
The room fell awkwardly silent.
Myers stared at him.
The Secretary of Defense spread his hands helplessly.
"You're the President.
If there is even a chance it improves humanity's odds of survival, we should consider every option.
At a moment like this, nothing can be off the table."
"So I'm the bargaining chip now?"
Myers laughed bitterly.
Then she looked upward.
Taking a deep breath, she spoke toward the ceiling.
"If you can hear me...
Would you permit me to travel to Night City and meet you personally, Your Eminence?"
===
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